Master-of-Illusions
by Maca56
Summary: Things looked good for Peter. He got the girl, schools going well, no world threats, he’s happy with his friends. Maybe his life will turn around? Until a foe with the power to shape reality re-appears in New York, its up to Peter to suit up and battle him again, and hopefully learn how to take him down for good. *Slight AU, Peter x Michelle*


"You'll see, Peter. People...need to believe. And nowadays, they'll believe anything._" _

Those words had stuck with Peter since he got back from London.

He was pretty sure Beck was dead, but Happy had told him a body was never found.

Beck, or Mysterio as the world knew him, claimed he had contingency plans had he lost, and he lost.

Did Quinten have more tricks up his sleeve?

"Peter, you ok?"

Peter was snapped out of his thoughts by a concerned looking Ned.

"What? Yeah I'm fine. Just thinking."

Peter hasn't told Ned about all the happened on the bridge, the only ones he'd told were Fury, Happy and MJ.

Fury was keeping his eyes peeled for Beck, Happy had him reported to the Avengers and MJ...was being MJ.

"You sure Pete? You seem a little distant."

Peter smiled.

"I did just save London from a homocidal sociopath with the technology of a late billionaire genius. I just need time to recover."

Ned nodded, going quiet for a few moments before speaking again.

"Before we left, I got a lego star destroyer. Would you maybe wanna come over and help me build it?"

At that, Peter perked up.

"How many pieces?"

"1416 pieces. It's a first order one."

"Of course I wanna help build that!"

Ned and Peter did their special handshake, just finishing as Michelle arrived.

"Sup losers?" She said, smirking and sitting next to Peter.

Peter blushed when she sat down and Ned spoke.

"We're making plans to build a lego star destroyer. Relax after that whole mess in Europe."

Michelle nodded and pulled a book from her bag.

"Never going to Venice again." Michelle said and cracked open the book.

Peter smiled at her comment.

"Who knows, Venice might be nice when a giant water illusion isn't trying to kill you."

Another thing Ned hasn't been told by Peter, was the illusions Mysterio tormented him with during their battles.

"Ah Venice, a city of romance..." Ned began and rambled on about love all while Peter and Michelle smiled and laughed with him.

~~~~~~~

The room was dark, and in the middle sat a wooden desk with 5 chairs.

4 men stood in the room, not sure what to make of each other.

The men were Aaron Davis, Max Gargan, Adrian Toomes and Herman Schultz.

"The hell are we doing here?"

A question Gargan has asked many times, getting increasingly agitated each time.

"Shut up already man, you asked that like, five times." Aaron whined.

"Be more grateful buddy. Whoever wants to see us busted three of us outta jail." Toombes added.

The room was in a large warehouse located in Central Europe. The building was rather inconspicuous, and the men gathering were unlikely to be disturbed.

Suddenly, the room went pitch black.

"What the-" the men cried.

"Welcome, gentlemen." A voice echoed around them, seemingly coming from everywhere.

A green mist slowly descended from the ceiling, rolling across the ground and blanketing it in a thin layer of smoke.

"What the hell is this man?" Aaron Davis asked.

Shultz activated his gauntlet.

"I don't know but I sure as hell don't like it"

The voice echoed:

"I wish none of you any harm. Only, a proposal."

The green mist began shift, forming a thick cloud close to the entrance of the warehouse.

Out of the mist, the figure of a man formed, tall, lean and with an oddly circular head.

A man stepped from the mist, gold armour with blue lights, a green undersuit, a royal purple cape and a cloudy sphere for a head.

"Gentlemen, I am Mysterio, and I have cheated death."

~~~~~~

Peter pulled his mask over his head, his new suits HUD activating instantly and scanning the face of the woman in front of him.

"Are you sure you don't want me to take you home MJ?" Peter asked.

MJ nodded, a small smile on her face.

"There's a women's march downtown that I want to go and join, and last time you swung me around town I almost fell, I'd rather avoid that, dork."

MJ pulled Peter into a hug and pecked him on the cheek.

"Try not to die ok? I know that you're an Avenger and all, but I'd like to see you tomorrow."

"Don't worry MJ, it's just a small mission I'm doing with Rhodes and Sam, it'll be fine." Peter said, turning and shooting his webs into the air.

"I love you!"

_3 weeks later: _

"Yeah, I'm never doing that ever again. Sorry Peter."

Peter laughed as he sat on a rooftop with Michelle. He had swung them through the city, grabbed lunch and brought her up to a spot where they could be alone, away from their friends for once.

Peter took off his mask and smiled a wide, goofy grin.

"You get used to it after a while. Maybe you just need spider powers."

"I'd rather not be a spider-dork 2.0 thank you very much."

"I think you'd make a great sidekick."

Michelle scoffed.

"You'd be the side kick you little shit." She smiled at Peter.

Peter took a bite of his sandwich and stared out at the rooftops.

"I love it. Swinging between the rooftops, through traffic. It's breathtaking, and thrilling."

MJ shrugged.

"I guess it's not really my thing."

Suddenly, MJ's phone started going off, as did Peters.

MJ checked her phone.

"It's Betty."

Peter looked from his.

"Ned."

Peter picked up the phone.

"Peter! You need to check the news now!!"

"Ned, what's going on?"

MJ pulled up the Daily on her phone and, as usual, JJJ was going on a rant about vigilantes.

"And now my dear viewers, we have proof that Quentin Beck, or Mysterio, has been found alive and with a team of superheroes to rival the avengers to boot. They call themselves the Thunderbolts."

Peter looked to MJ, both wide eyed.

On the screen came a press conference, and Beck was indeed in attendance, dressed in his costume.

With him, was the Vulture, sporting a new high tech suit, a man in purple armour with a cape and large claws, a man in a bright green armoured suit with a scorpion tail and the shocker, in a orange and yellow high tech suit, a mask reminiscent of Tony's on his head, but without the mouth slit.

Peter slipped his mask on, opening the avengers comms.

"Peter, please tell me you aren't going to fight him again? Adrian and Beck almost killed you!"

MJ grabbed his arm and her chocolate brown eyes looked desperate.

"Please don't go, you can't take them all yourself."

Peter hesitated.

"It's probably one of his illusions Peter, a last ditch effort to get you from beyond the grave."

Peter shook his head.

"It's not, I saw a flicker when Beck 'died'. I've hoped I was seeing things, and Edith said all illusions were gone, but she never said he died."

MJ put her head down.

"I'll come back safe, I promise."

Peter flipped off the rooftop.

~~~~~

"Yes people of New York, you brave, brave people, I survived!" Mysterio cried, raising his hands in the air.

The people in the crowd around him, reporters yelled questions and camera crews and influences recorded his every move.

Beck loved it.

He waved to the crowd as they cheered, the green smoke billowing around him.

He may not have had Starks drones (or as many of them), but he had some new tricks.

The green cloud was one of them.

"Now, as a token of my gratitude and to keep the earth safe from future threats, like the elementals, I would like to introduce you to some allies of mine."

Gesturing to his side, 4 people stood on the podium with him.

"My very own superhero team, to aid and assist the avengers whenever they need it!"

The crowd cheered and clapped just as the green fog settled at their feet, filling all of Manhattan square.

"We are the Thunderbolts!"

At that moment, 4 people landed in the crowd.

"Mysterio!"

Under his helmet, Mysterio smiled.

In front of him and his team, stood 4 of the avengers.

Spider-Man, Captain America, Ant Man and the Wasp.

He knew Hawkeye/Ronan was most likely on a rooftop somewhere.

"Look man, we don't have time for your bullshit." Captain America cried, his wings extending.

Spider-Man stepped forward.

"Please Beck, i trusted you, it's not too late to do the right thing."

Mysterio turned to his team and nodded, before snapping his fingers, his hidden drones maneuvering around him and he activated the fog.

The crowd was about to see something very different from what was about to happen.

Mysterio turned back to Peter, raising his hands and shooting a green beam at him.

Peter didn't move, and was hit full force by the ray.

"Owww, since when did those actually hurt?" Peter groaned.

Sam Wilson laughed at Peters misfortune, before being picked up and thrown into the air by Adrian Toomes.

Ant Man shrunk down as Aaron Davis lunged at him, and the Wasp went for Herman.

Peter lost track of Mac but he had more pressing issues to deal with.

"I upgraded, Peter. You won't stop me this time!" Mysterio flew towards Peter and picked him up.

Peter struggled against his grip, unable to escape. Hearing the sound of machinery, Peter realized.

"You-you used Stark tech?!"

Mysterio chuckled.

"Built it myself you brat."

Mysterio threw Peter towards a billboard, launching another beam at him.

"You know, I knew we'd meet again. I knew you were smart enough to realize I was still out there. I didn't think you'd be this unprepared."

Mysterio cast his green energy over himself and summoned his green triangles in a similar way to when he 'battled' molten man.

"I'm sorry it came to this Peter."

He launched himself at Peter, blasting beam after beam and each connecting.

Peter was repeatedly blown back by each hit, unable to recover and his 'Peter Tingle' not working again.

Mysterio reached Peter and decked him hard, sending him flying back into a wall.

"Oww, man that stings."

Mysterio was beginning to get annoyed.

"Why won't you fight back?!?" He yelled, shooting another beam.

Peter dodged this one, the beam barely missing him as he side stepped it.

"I don't want to hurt you Quentin!"

Mysterio stopped attacking for a moment.

"Tony messed up, you payed for it. You're like Adrian. Tony didn't think about consequences, he just acted."

Mysterio shot another beam, knocking Peter down.

"It's time we leave team, my projection will only last so long."

Mysterio lifted off, and with him the green mist began to leave.

The others left their respective attackers, even the bloodthirsty Gargan battling Clint on a nearby rooftop.

Sam landed beside Peter.

"What the hell is happening kid?"

Peter looked around, at the shocked people and the departing mist.

"What did Mysterio make them see?"

Peters phone began to ring, he looked at the caller.

No I.D.

Reluctantly, Peter answered.

"Don't worry Peter, the people didn't see our fight, maybe those watching from afar did but not those in the square. I showed them their worst nightmares, and my team battling them. It'll be nice 'working' with you in the future."

The line went silent.

Peter stood still, shocked.

"W-we need to g-go. Now!"

~~~~~~

_"Peter, what happened!?!" _

Peter was swinging his way back to the rooftop he left MJ on, forgetting he'd sort of stranded her up there.

"_I saw the whole thing from the roof. You barely even fought him!"_

Peter sighed.

MJ saw the real fight, not the illusion.

"I'll explain when I get there, just hang on!" Peter hung up and continued swinging.

People cheered him from the streets, asked him for favours and called to him, but he ignored them all.

He needed to see MJ, now.

Swinging a few more blocks, he flipped onto the roof and landed right in front of MJ and tore his mask from his head.

His eyes were red and puffy, and he looked shaken.

"Peter? Oh my god!"

Peter collapsed into her arms, his numerous wounds becoming more and more apparent.

"MJ, he controls the truth." He said, trying to sit up.

"The whole world thinks he's a hero, he still has Stark tech."

MJ paused.

"He has complete control of reality. People see what he wants them to see. Whether online, or in person. He's mastered illusion MJ."

"And what are you going to do?" She paused, adding a 'dork' at the end to try and cheer him up.

"I need to stop him, but I can't."

MJ scoffed.

"You really are a loser Peter."

Peter frowned.

"Not what I need right now Michelle." Peter mumbled, pulling his knees to his chest.

MJ pulled Peter closer.

"You have the Avengers at your back, and more importantly, you have the FOS."

Peter cocked his eyebrow.

"FOS?"

MJ changed her tone.

"FOS. Friends, F. Of, O. Spider-Man, S. We're kind of a big deal." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

Peter smiled.

"That's more what I needed."

MJ let Peter rest his head on her shoulder as they stared off the roof.

The evening sun was just settling over the horizon, casting everything in a golden yellow light and making the skyscrapers of New York glow.

"Look, I know you're a superhero and all, and I get the dangers that come with that, including to myself, but I'm...here. I'll... always be...here if you need me." MJ said, mock barfing as she spoke.

Peter smiled.

"I'm bad at feelings dumbass. That's all you'll get from me."

"Thank you MJ, I needed that."

"No problem, idiot."

The two laid back on the roof and watched as the sky faded to darkness.

"So...I should probably take you home now shouldn't I?"

"Nah, lets stay out and watch the stars for a bit, I wanna see if I can spot any government drones."

_A/N: _Guess who came back from the dead? I guess both me and Mysterio, but I'm back from like a, 7 or 8 month case of school and writers block.

I know this is a little rough and jumpy, but I just loved Peter, MJ and Mysterio so much in Far From Home I couldn't not write something on it.

I may make more chapters, or stories related to it, but it's done for now.

If you enjoyed it, or want to see more, make sure to let me know. :)

Thank you as always for reading,

~Maca56


End file.
